


Step Two

by Phelpsgirlxxx



Series: Touch [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Affection, Apologetic Annabeth, Apologies, F/M, Friendship, M/M, Mentions of Tartarus, Mentions of the Seven - Freeform, Platonic Cuddling, Supportive Will, Touch, Touch-Starved, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:49:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28142649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phelpsgirlxxx/pseuds/Phelpsgirlxxx
Summary: With Will's encouragement, Nico opens himself up more to his friends, slowly but surely, starting with Annabeth.Better than the summary.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase & Nico di Angelo, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Series: Touch [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2045401
Comments: 7
Kudos: 133





	Step Two

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this the other night. I'm currently staying at a friend's house so we can all quarantine together before Christmas. I am drowning under essays however, so if prompts are sent, and I don't respond immediately, that's why.

Nico sighed as Will nodded encouragingly at him from ten feet away where he was hiding down the side of the Apollo cabin.

“You can do it Nico!” Will called, before he blushed and hid further down the space between cabin seven and cabin eight.

Nico blushed with embarrassment as people turned to look at him, including the person he was being encouraged to speak to. He quickly looked around to see if there was anywhere close enough for him to hide, but he knew immediately he wouldn’t be able to as the object of his mission, as Will had referred to it, moved closer.

“Hi Nico? Are you okay?”

He hadn’t realised she was so close, and he immediately took a step back, twiddling with the skull ring on his finger, an action Will said came from anxiety, mainly social anxiety.

“Hi Annabeth. I’m fine.” He croaked, but it came out as more of a question than he had intended to.

“Are you sure? What was Will encouraging you to do?”

Nico continued playing with the skull ring, chewing on his lip nervously. He wasn’t sure he could do it. He knew Will would be disappointed if he didn’t manage it, and he didn’t want the son of Apollo to be disappointed with him, more than anything he wanted Will to be pleased with what he was doing, and this step would make Will happy.

“He wants me to...well...he…” Nico didn’t realise he was shaking slightly, and the eyes he could feel wandering over him began to make his skin itch.

“Is it to do with me?” Annabeth asked carefully, not wanting to frighten the younger demigod any more than he already was facing.

Nico nodded weakly.

“How about we head to the Athena cabin? No one will be in there at this time of day, and we can talk in peace. How does that sound?”

“Good.”

“Okay then.”

Annabeth quickly led the son of Hades over to cabin six, and to Nico’s relief, the cabin was completely empty, and Annabeth motioned for Nico to take a seat on her bed with her, leaving a good four foot gap between them.  
As the two sat, silence filled the cabin, but Annabeth said nothing, merely waiting for Nico to begin whenever he was ready and comfortable. The lack of pressure was nice, and Nico found himself relaxing, despite his mind telling him to run, shadow travel away and never come back. He couldn’t do that however. The thought of escaping and never getting any touch from Will again made his chest ache, a burn which had lessened significantly over the past few weeks where Will had made sure to touch him casually so he could get used to positive attention again.

Finally, with a deep breath, Nico spoke.

“Will told me I’m touch starved a couple of weeks ago.” He blurted, before inwardly cursing himself. That wasn’t how he had intended to start the conversation.

“Hmm. Is that why he’s been more touchy feely with you lately?”

Nico didn’t really want to elaborate on the other reasons, at least not yet, so he just nodded.

“Yeah.” He said after a moment.

“He’s definitely right, I could guess you were touch starved even when we met.”

Nico frowned, but didn’t say anything. 

“To elaborate, I don’t mean you were totally touch starved, obviously you had-” Annabeth broke off for a second, looking at Nico carefully, unwilling to say the name in case it hurt him.

“Bianca.” He whispered.

“Yes, you had Bianca, but most kids at your age back then wouldn’t just have to rely on your older sister for attention, most people would be surrounded by other people too. I was young when I came to camp Nico, but I had Luke and then I made friends, I had siblings here. I had Thalia before she was turned into a tree too. All I’m saying Nico is that even with getting attention from one person, you can still be touch starved.”

Nico nodded, glad that Annabeth was leading the conversation down the line he wanted it to go down.

“Yeah, it’s kind of to do with that.” Nico said, returning his attention to his ring again.

Annabeth was incredibly smart, Nico knew that, so she probably already knew what he wanted, what he was trying to ask, and the fact she hadn’t shooed him out of her cabin made him feel slightly more reassured.

“Take your time Nico, I’m not in a rush to do anything today.” The daughter of Athena told him calmly.

It took him another couple of moments before he spoke again.

“Will wants me to try and get… attention I guess, from other people so I grow more comfortable.”

“Hmm.”

“And because Hazel, Jason and Reyna aren’t here, and because Will trusts you and…”

“Hey Nico, take a deep breath, it’s okay.” Annabeth reassured, carefully placing a hand on his arm, making him jump slightly before he settled down. He was slowly getting used to touch, but if he wasn’t expecting it, it was more difficult to not slightly panic.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay Nico, and I’m glad you came to me, of course I’ll help.”

“You will?”

“Of course, we can talk as well, I owe you an apology...well, a lot of apologies.”

“You do?” Nico asked, wide eyed, and Annabeth smiled sadly at him.

“Over the years, Percy and I haven’t treated you very well Nico, and I want to apologise.”

“It’s okay.” He quickly told her.

“It’s not, and I’m extremely disappointed in myself that it took me so long to realise how bad we’d treated you. You were a kid Nico, you still are, and you went through Tartarus, you were stuffed in a jar for over a week with no fresh oxygen or food or water, you lost your sister, you were stuck in a time you didn’t understand and you were having trouble accepting yourself. Looking back, all your actions make sense, and so often you put yourself at risk for me, for Percy, for the other members of the seven, hell, for most of the people at both camps, and no one’s ever thanked you properly, or let you know you belong here at camp Nico. We want you here.”

Nico wasn’t sure when silent tears had begun to roll down his cheeks, and as he looked up, he was surprised to see Annabeth was crying quietly too.

“It’s really okay Annabeth.”

Annabeth held out her arms to Nico, and it took him only a moment to cautiously move closer to her, and fall into her arms, accepting the comfort she was extremely willing to give. Annabeth rocked him slightly as she held him close, and a sense of comfort and pure peace settled over Nico quietly, and he smiled despite his tears, feeling slightly glad that his face was hidden in Annabeth’s neck so she couldn’t see his smile.

He had never known how deeply he had wanted an apology for how badly he had been treated by the seven until Will had started talking to him about his issues, and he had been outraged about how he had been treated. Nico had always thought he deserved the treatment, and he still wasn’t entirely sure he didn’t, but Will was helping him make strides in improving his self confidence, although he still had a long way to go.

Despite not being sure whether he deserved it, the apology helped.

After a minute or so, Nico pulled back, wiping his eyes as he did so.

“Thanks Annabeth.”

“No problem. I’m glad you came to me. Now, I have an idea.”

“Hmm?”

“Have you ever read Harry Potter?”

Nico had no idea what that was.

“No, what?”

“I have an idea okay? Let me know if you get uncomfortable okay?”

“I will.”

“Good.”

Annabeth grabbed a book from the shelf above her bed, and then carefully maneuvered Nico so his head was laying in her lap, and she carefully threaded one of her hands through it, and began stroking his hair softly.

Nico found himself immediately relaxing, and from his position he didn’t see the soft smile on Annabeth’s face.

“Nico, you’re so light, you need to eat more.”

“Will’s making me work on it.”

“Good.”

Annabeth continued stroking his hair, and from above him, Nico could hear her opening the book, and hear the soft fluttering of pages as she looked for where to start.

“Mr and Mrs Dursley of number four Privet Drive were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much…” Annabeth began as she continued her actions. 

As she continued reading, Nico began to feel drowsy, and he debated getting up and leaving to wake himself up, or to head back to his own cabin, but as Annabeth moved her hand to run it up and down his back before tracing soft pictures onto his back, which he could feel through his thin t-shirt, he allowed himself to close his eyes, and slowly give in.

PJOHOOTOA.

Annabeth immediately placed a finger to her lips as Malcom entered the cabin and opened his mouth.

Malcolm frowned for a second, before he cast his eyes down and noticed the sleeping Nico di Angelo with his head resting in Annabeth’s lap as she carefully stroked his hair.

“You okay?” Malcolm signed in American sign language.

Annabeth nodded immediately as her hands were otherwise preoccupied.

She was extremely glad that Nico felt comfortable enough around her to fall asleep, and as she was comfortable too, she wasn’t planning on moving or moving him.

Malcolm just nodded, quickly grabbing a book from his bed, before sliding out of the cabin.

Annabeth looked down at Nico and smiled. She wasn’t sure if she had ever actually seen the son of Hades sleep, but while he was resting, the tension around his eyes relaxed, which relieved her as it meant he wasn’t having a nightmare, and he really looked like an angel, really living up to his surname.

Annabeth sighed, wishing that Nico could feel as peaceful as he looked laying on her lap, at all times, but she knew for demigods that was impossible, but she inwardly promised herself, whenever possible she would try and make him comfortable and happy, and for now, running her hands through his hair, and lightly humming to the boy was the best she could do, and she was going to do it.

**Author's Note:**

> Please review and leave kudos if you liked this, it really makes my day.


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